richard@gryphon.COM (Richard Sexton) (12/11/88)
From an interview with Jackie Mason in the Boston Globe Magazine, November 20, 1988. Page 10, para 3. (Magazine): How do you get away with telling so many ethnic jokes? (Mason): I don't think anyone's offended by ethnic jokes, except writers who are trying to write columns and want to make some terrible problem out of them. There's nothing offensive about ethnic jokes in any way. Ethnic jokes are basically a comedy satire about cultural differences. So to say that ethnic jokes are offensive is to say that cultural differences are offensive. Is it offensive to say that there are different cultures ? Thats why you study sociology and anthropology - to study cultural differences. If you call it cultural commentary it's class; if you call it ethnic humor it's offensive. -------------------- And another thing. Ethnic jokes on TV. Since this whole thing flared up, I've being paying attention to WHO makes ethnic jokes. In my estimation, over a rather small sample space, it appears to me that over 90% of the jokes about an ethnic group are TOLD BY a member of that ethnic group. -- ``Oh really, did you know consevatives in america want to limit government involvement in people's lives. What police involvement do conservatives want?'' - John D. Mathon richard@dogmeat.gryphon.COM dogmeat.gryphon!richard@elroy.jpl.nasa.gov